


Not That Kind of Love

by AllThoseOtherWorlds



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Aromantic, Aromantic Tony Stark, Friendship, Gen, Happy Ending, Light Angst, soulbonds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 12:12:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6005436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllThoseOtherWorlds/pseuds/AllThoseOtherWorlds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where soulbonds are usually (but not always) romantic, an aromantic Tony Stark is afraid of how Steve will react to the bond forming between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not That Kind of Love

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Marvel or make money from this.
> 
> **Comments and constructive criticism are appreciated. If you didn't like something, I'd love to know what it is so I can improve on it.**

The thing was, Tony didn’t actually _want_ a soulbond. He was perfectly okay without one, thank you very much. The idea of someone being in his head all the time, aware of his thoughts and feelings towards them, was bad enough all on its own, because okay, he _might_ have some issues with trusting other people, but that wasn’t even the biggest problem. There _were_ a few people he’d be willing to trust in his head, if they thought they could put up with it.

No, the biggest problem was that soulbonds were usually romantic, and he… wasn’t.

There _were_ nonromantic soulbonds, of course. He’d looked into it when he was young and still learning about things like aromanticism and queerplatonic relationships. Of the people who soulbonded - which was most of the human race, for reasons nobody could quite pin down - a small but growing fraction did not identify that bond as romantic. Most of them were aromantic, as were most of those people who never bonded at all, but it wasn’t an exact science, and there were plenty of people who had a romantic relationship and a platonic bond, or who had no bonds at all and were still romantic.

So Tony knew he wasn’t alone. He knew that there were other people out there who didn’t want a romantic relationship or bond or anything else, and most of the time he didn’t think twice about it.

Unfortunately, today was an exception.

“Tony?”

The source of his current problems turned to him, concerned. Tony knew he was concerned, because he could feel it through the shiny new soulbond that had decided to form between them. Thankfully, it wasn’t complete yet, so Steve was getting Tony’s feelings rather than his exact thoughts, but it was only a matter of time until he knew.

“I’m fine,” he lied, smiling at Steve over the tablet he was pretending to work on. “Just tired.”

He didn’t need the nascent bond to tell that Steve didn’t believe him. “It’s about the bond, isn’t it?” Steve looked hurt, _felt_ hurt, and Tony wanted to reassure him but couldn’t. “I don’t understand. I thought bonds didn’t form unless both people were ready.”

Tony sighed. “It’s complicated,” he said. Steve was right - bonds usually _didn_ _’t_ form unless both people were ready, but apparently he was the lucky outlier because he was pretty certain he hadn’t wanted this. If he knew how Steve would react, he might have been okay with it, but he liked his friendship with Steve. He liked watching him paint and showing him movies and teaching him about the Internet and sparring with him and joking and laughing and being there for each other.

He didn’t want that to end.

Steve was looking at him like wanted more of an answer than “It’s complicated”, which Tony supposed was a reasonable reaction, but he couldn’t do this right now, when the bond had only existed for a few minutes and he wasn’t ready for any of it.

“I’ve got to go,” he said, trying to ignore the confusion and worry he felt from Steve.

Once he was safely back in his workshop four floors down, he took a deep breath and spoke to Jarvis. “J, would you call up Pepper for me?”

Jarvis’ smooth voice calmed him a little, familiar as it was. “Of course, Sir.”

Pepper picked up the video call a few seconds later, looking concerned.

“Tony, are you okay?”

He tried for a grin. “What, don’t I ever call you just to say hello?”

“Not in the middle of the day, you don’t. You’re lucky my meeting today was rescheduled. And besides, I know that look. Tony, what’s wrong?”

Well, there never was any fooling Pepper. “It’s Steve,” Tony said, fiddling with a piece of wire as he spoke. “Apparently we, um… bonded.”

“Oh, Tony,” Pepper’s smile was fond. “Are you sure that’s a problem?”

“Of course it’s a problem!” Tony dropped the wire in favour of gesturing with his hands. “Steve’s from the _forties,_ and everyone knows about the thing he had with Aunt Peggy, there’s no way he won’t be disappointed when I tell him I don’t want the same things he does out of this.”

“I’m sure there were platonic bonds, even in the forties,” Pepper said. “And he’s your friend. Tony, I understand that you’re worried, but you know you can’t hide from him forever.”

Tony opened his mouth to protest that actually, he was fairly certain he could just hide down here in his workshop for the rest of eternity, but Pepper cut him off before he could speak.

“Just trust him, Tony,” Pepper said. “He’s a good guy, and he’s your friend. A bond wouldn’t have formed if you weren’t both going to benefit from it.”

Tony sighed. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice. I know he’s worried, and he deserves an explanation. I just-”

“You’re just worried he’ll reject you and cut you out of his life because you don’t want a romance with him,” Pepper said, and when she put it like that Tony felt a little silly, but her eyes were understanding. “Tony, I know you’ve met a lot of people who think like that, but believe me when I say that Steve will not be one of them.”

He nodded, trying to push back his worry. Every time he felt nervous or upset he got an answering surge of emotion from Steve, and he didn’t want to make his friend upset.

“I’ll go talk to him,” he promised. “Thanks, Pep.”

“Take care of yourself,” she said, smiling, and ended the call.

The holoscreen dimmed and turned itself off, and Tony leaned against the table for a few moments before leaving the room. He wanted to believe Pepper that Steve would be okay with Tony. Steve _was_ his friend, and a good person, and he’d been nothing but accepting of all the other things he’d learned about the modern world, but at the heart of it Tony knew this wasn’t really about Steve.

This was about all the movies he’d ever seen with romantic soulbonds, or platonic soulbonds that turned romantic just in time for the perfect happy ending. This was about all the people who assumed he was too flippant and shallow for a _real_ relationship, and all the tabloid rumours saying just that, even though he usually ignored them.

But Steve wasn’t any of that, as Tony reminded himself over and over on the trip back up to the living room.

Steve was still there, on the couch with his book, just like he’d been when the bond had first made itself known. He looked up when Tony entered, and he could feel Steve’s relief that Tony was back and his worry that Tony was worried.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked. “Is there anything I can do?”

Tony sat down on the couch and turned towards Steve. “I’m fine,” he said, just like the first time Steve had asked. “But I do think I owe you an explanation.”

He debated the best way to explain his feelings, considered working up to it and circling around it, and eventually just blurted out, “I don’t want a romantic relationship. With anyone, not just you. I know soulbonds are usually romantic, and probably more so in your time, but they’re not always, and I didn’t want to disappoint you but I like our friendship as it is.”

As he spoke he could feel Steve’s reactions - first confusion, but then understanding and relief - and when he finished Steve was smiling at him.

“Tony, it’s fine,” he said. “I like our friendship too.” He looked away for a moment, then back at Tony. “I was worried _you_ were disappointed, that maybe you were angry a bond had formed at all. I know you’re not keen on the idea of someone reading your emotions.”

“I was worried you’d realize my feelings weren’t romantic,” Tony admitted. “That was most of it. I wasn’t sure if you’d be okay with that or not. But if you’re okay with it, with our friendship as it is,” he said, “I think it’s… nice.”

He knew Steve was okay with it, could feel Steve’s acceptance and care for him, but he had to ask anyway. He had to be sure, had to have an answer given with words instead of a still-incomplete soulbond.

“You’re okay with it being a friendship bond, and not a romance?” he asked, watching Steve carefully.

Steve nodded, sending him feelings of reassurance and safely nonromantic love.

 _“I’m thrilled with it,”_ he said, and this time Tony could hear him in his head as well as out loud.

 _I love you,_ he thought at Steve, testing the newly-completed bond. _But no romo._

Steve laughed, happy and bright, and it wasn’t long before Tony, feeling both his own happiness and Steve’s, joined him.


End file.
